


The Right Woman

by SweetSativa



Category: Fall Out New Vegas
Genre: Eventual Rape/Non-Con, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Unrequited Love, i don't know how to tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-14 06:59:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5733988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetSativa/pseuds/SweetSativa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria knows little about herself other than she was shot while delivering a package. She lived. She wants her life back, and hunting down the bastard who killed her seems like a good a place to start as any. You really meet the most interesting people on the road.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just a Start

**Author's Note:**

> This is, I hope, going to be a fairly long story. It is my first attempt at a fan fic so please, any comments or suggestions are very welcome!  
> The story itself is something I've thought about doing for literally forever. Please enjoy!  
> I do tend to avoid dialogue directly from the game in favor of what I think would have sounded better. 
> 
> The story will be told partly from Maria's perspective and partly from Boone's.

Maria was burning up. Well, of course she was burning up. This is the Mojave, what could she really expect. Still, she was so sick of this heat, of this... place. Did she always feel this way about heat? She couldn't remember, she couldn't remember anything except an ugly checkered suit and a quote from a man who obviously thought very highly of himself, "The game was rigged from the start." She grit her teeth and pushed on. She was getting close to Novac where she hopped to find some clues, and more than that, a place out of this heat with a bed and food. She needed to resupply, too. She had used far too many bullets on some geckoes she encountered. Was being a bad shot a side effect of a bullet in the brain or was she always a bad shot? A courier who didn't know how to shoot, no wonder she got shot. She shook her head and pressed on.

It was dark before she saw the outline of the town. The map on her Pip Boy didn't make it look this far away, but, oh well. She was almost to the town when a shot rang out like a knife in the dark. Startled, she stood there like a deer in the head lights. Surely who ever the mystery sniper was wasn't aiming at her, right? I mean, if it was a sniper worth a shit she'd be dead. When she got to the motel she was greeted by a woman named Jeannie May Crawford. She seemed a nice enough lady, and was more than happy to sell her a room to sleep in. When she got to her room she took a look at her reflection. Dirty, always dirty. He pale skin was now dust red. Her light blond hair was a frazzled mess around her shoulders. It was so hard to keep it nice while fighting off the many dangers in the desert. Her light armor was soaking with sweat and stuck to her as she tried to peal it off. She tossed it unceremoniously in a heap on the floor followed by her undergarments. 

"Running water, please, please, have some small amount of running water." She begged allowed. 

A small amount leaked out, completely cold. Completely perfect. Maria scrubbed the red dirt from herself the best should could then set to work on her hair. Her hazel eyes looked back at her and she saw she looked just as tired as she felt. She brushed her hair out, mostly, then let it fall around her shoulders once again. She crawled into the covers and before long was lost in sleep.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

"The game was rigged from the start." Was all she heard, then blackness, then pressure, mounds of pressure forcing her into the ground. Trapped. Dark. Alone. Then, there was nothing. 

Maria woke with a start. She always had the same dream, the same, nightmare. That face, the gun, then the feeling of being buried alive. She hugged her legs to herself and rocked back and forth until she had calmed. She peaked out the window, it was almost dark again, or, had it not even been a few hours yet? She couldn't tell. She decided to get up and head out, sleep wasn't going to come to her again. She was dressed and out the door in no time. 

"Time to see what kind of work is out there, then to get that bastard and put an end to this nightmare." She said to herself. With that, she head down the stairs with renewed purpose. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

"You're a stranger, that's a start." He told her, "I want you to find out something for me." 

"What, if I may ask, am I finding out?" She replied. 

"I need you to find out who sold my wife. I want that person to answer for what they have done. They sold her to the Legion. Everyone knows what happens to women in the Legion. I want the sick fuck to answer to me." 

With a coy smile and small step back, she left with his beret down the stairs and out of the dinosaur. Why he though that this little skinny thing would help him, he didn't really know, but she agreed. Now, the hardest part, he had to wait. She will be back. He didn't know what made him so sure, but he just knew she would... or maybe he just didn't want to think about the possibility that some stranger has his beret and could quite easily take off with it. No, that was stupid. Why would some stranger go though all the trouble just to get his beret. He would miss it, though. 

The night was almost over by the time he heard yelling and running from below. She placed the stock of his gun firmly in his shoulder and looked though the scope. He couldn't see what was making the noise, but he knew that voice well enough. It was Jeannie May. 

"Jeannie May?" he wondered, "What could have her so upset. If only I could see easier past the motel from here..." 

He didn't need to. When he looked though the scope again, he saw the girl and Jeannie May walking down the road in front of his post. The girl put on his beret. Without any hesitation, he pulled the trigger. Jeannie May's head was blown off in a shower of blood and brains. The girl did not seem to mind. She even turned and spat on the body then drug it over a nearby hill out of easy sight of any passer-bys. Not long after, the door to his post swung open.

"How did you know?" He asked her. 

She did not reply. Now that she was close up, he could tell that her already pale skin was even more pale, her eyes looked red, like she had been crying, and she didn't even so much as glance up at him. Instead, she just handed him a piece of paper in silence. Not a good sign. 

"They would keep paper work." He said at last. 

She just nodded. "You want some space, ya know, before you read that?" she said with a small voice. 

He didn't answer. He was already half way though the note. Unborn child. He was going to vomit, or pass out, or.. or.. 

"You... knew. You... read this?" He said is half anger half dismay. 

"Please, Boone, don't be angry! I had to make sure, didn't I? I couldn't very well bring the wrong person on a death march!" Her words were fast and pleading, "I had to read it. I.. wish I didn't but I had to. I am so sorry. I will just leave you alone. I have to get some sleep anyways. I am heading out about mid afternoon tomorrow."

"You'll die. I should go with you." The words left his mouth without his permission. 

She started at him for a moment, then, with the same small smile she had given him earlier, nodded, and headed down the stairs once again.


	2. What a Stick in the Mud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maria and Boone are on their way to the REPCONN Test Facility. Boone finds out that Maria is just winning everything she does. Maria decides Boone needs to learn to laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so, there is chapter is mostly dialogue a small potion of the Come Fly With Me quest line. (Small spoilers for it)
> 
> So proud of a joke I make XD You'll just have to wait and see.

It wasn't quite noon and the newly formed duo were on their way. Another miserable, hot, day in the Mojave. Maria was excited to have a company on the road. She didn't much like the idea of traveling alone, especially after what had happened to her the last time she did. Boone was a much better shot than her, of that she was one hundred percent sure. Hell, maybe he would show her how to shoot. For now though, on to the REPCONN facility to clear out some ghouls for that other soldier guy. 

"So, you're not even going to ask where we are going?" She prodded. She looked behind her when she heard no reply, "Not even a little bit curious?... Ok... well we are going to the RECONN facility to clear out the ghouls there for... what was his name? Manny. Ya, that's it. Manny. He has some information for me on the guy who, oh, I didn't tell you did I? I was shot in the head and I'm after the guys who did it. Ok, so Manny has info on him and he won't give it to me unless we clear out those ghouls." 

As far as she could tell, Boone had heard her but he made no attempts to reply. He just stared at her from behind those ridiculous sun glasses. Whatever. 

"Maria." she stated.

"Hmm?" was all she got in return.

"I didn't tell you my name, it's Maria."

Nothing. 

"Just thought it would be good for you to know, considering we're traveling together."

Nothing. 

They were about to the facility when Boone ducked behind an old car. Maria kept on without noticing he was trying to get her attention. She just walked forward not even bother to respond to the snipers hand movements to get her to follow him.

"Maria..." he hissed. "Maria...Maria!" 

"Hmm?.. OH" she ducked down next to him, "Umm, what are we doing?"

In disbelief he just looked over at the woman next to him. "Getting an idea of what we are dealing with?" 

"So, I should get my gun ready?" she asked.

"Yes."

Maria pulled out a very old 10mm pistol and held it loosely at her side. "Ok, ready." 

"Is that it? That is what you are planing on assaulting an entire building full of hostile feral ghouls with? Do you at least have a good amount of amo?" He asked in disbelief. 

"Oh hold on.. I have... five clips."

"That's it?! You want to go in there, with a beat up 10mm and five clips on amo. You have no other weapons? Nothing? Holy shit." Boone was in shock. When he said the other night that should would die without him, he didn't know just how right he was until this moment.

"Oh I do have something else in my pack... but I'm not a big fan of it... hold on." She threw he pack down and started to rummage though it, "Oh look! A couple grenades...hmm should probably have those somewhere safer than my pack... Ah! Here it is." She pulled out a Ripper and beamed at him. "See, not JUST a 10mm."

"Ok, so you have a Ripper. You're back up weapon was shoved in the bottom of you pack, so far out of reach that you had to dig though it just to find it? What if you ran out of bullets in the middle of a fight? Were you just going to hold up your hand and say, "Hold on Mr. Feral Ghoul, let me find my other weapon?!?" He couldn't believe this woman. She was a complete mess. No wonder she got herself shot. 

"Well, when you put it THAT way." she retorted. 

He shook his head at her in a loss for words. What was she thinking? What would anyone try to take on an over run building full of feral ghouls with just an old 10mm, two grenades, and a Ripper was beyond him. Boone was half tempted to turn around and head back to Novac just then, but, it wasn't like he had anything to go back too. At least on the road he had a better chance of taking out any Legion solders. He'd stay, if for any reason, to hunt down as many of those bastards as he could before one of them got him in return. 

"Are we going yet?" Maria prodded, "We're burning daylight here." 

Fuck it. "Let's go." 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

"Well that was more complicated than it should have been. Who knew there were some crazy non-ferals up there, and they were building rockets! Shame one of them crashed into the ground right away... Well, it's done. The Nightkin are gone and Jason and his band of followers are gone too. Manny should be happy. Now he can give me the info on where my killer went. Come on, let's get back down to town. I need a bath." Maria rambled.

By the time they got back to town night was well under way. Boone rubbed the back of his neck. Looks like he wasn't getting any sleep tonight. He had to finish this last watch for the town before he kissed this place good bye for good. Maria offered to stay up with him to keep him company but he sent he away. He had enough of her for one day. How was he ever going to travel around with her and not go nuts? It was obvious she needed him, considering he had done most of the shooting for them back at REPCONN and she handled the talking. At least she promised to stop and kill any Legion solders they spotted on the way to... where ever it was they were going. He had no idea. Manny was well asleep so she couldn't go talk to him right away, much as it was obvious she wanted to. If he was lucky maybe they'd go right into Legion territory and he'd die sooner rather than later. He did feel a little responsible for Maria, and he did owe her for what she did for him. He'd try not to die right away, if only to repay her before his end. 

______________________________________________________ 

Boone woke to a loud knocking on his door... he couldn't have been asleep for more than a couple of hours. Without permission, the door opened and Maria walked in with a huge smile plastered on her face. She threw him a bottle of dirty water. 

"We are going to Boulder City. Let's go."


	3. Facing the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PTSD TRIGGER WARNINGS IN THIS CHAPTER!!  
> In this chapter we get to Boulder City and Maria is faced with the only part of her past she remembers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy this chapter.  
> I had to think a while on how to word what I wanted to say.  
> Enjoy, I hope!

Maria and Boone had been resting up for a few hours after reaching Boulder City. Some NCR boys were being held up by the very people who had the info Maria desired. They managed to convince Lt. Monroe to let them deal with the Khans instead of risking even more NCR troops. Maria, though she didn't know the Khans or have any personal experience with them, wasn't against the idea of just taking them out. If they were the kind of people who shot random people in the head, or allowed it at least, just for pay, they couldn't be that great. The pair decided to wait until the cover of night fall to attempt to rescue the captured men, and some rest after their trip here wasn't a bad idea. Maria could wait a few more hours, just a few more. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

"You ready?" Boone asked. Why he would ask something that silly was beyond Maria. Who would ever be ready to be bait for a bunch of thugs. Sure, his plan was sound enough. She could trust him to pick off the Khans one by one, but that part she didn't like was her being the one to get them to come out of the door. She thought they were lucky enough to have killed the few outside in silence. Now Boone wanted to push their luck by drawing this Jessup guy out into the open where Boone could make a quick end of him. She had to trust Boone knew what he was doing from his sniper pearch, she couldn't let her mind wonder with what could go wrong. Time to suck it up.

With a not so steady hand, Maria opened the door to the old building just enough for her to see how many were in the room before her. There was a set of stairs leading upwards and in the room stood two people, but if one of them was Jessup she could only guess. She wanted to just toss a grenade in there and be done with it, but the possibility of it hurting the NCR boys was too high. So, instead she stuck her 10mm slightly though the door and pulled the trigger, then as quickly as she could, ducked behind the wall. Just as Boone had predicted, the two came rushing out of the door. They were dead on the ground before her feet in an instant.

"Dam, he's good." Maria whispered. She made to enter the building when she walked right into the man who could only be Jessup. He was slightly taller than herself and his mouth was outlined with a mustache and beard. Before she could move his hands were squeezing around her neck. He picked her up and threw her into the room behind him. She hit her head hard against a wall. Dazed, she looked up to see a gun pointed right in her face. She tried to move, to think, but her thoughts were like a fog. 

Blackness... Jessup walked closer... can't breathe, can't breath... Juessp's mouth was moving but Maria couldn't hear the words.... "The game was rigged from the start." said the man in the checkered suit... "No, no... NOOO!" she was screaming in her head. She was trapped again, the Earth suffocating her, sucking the air from her lungs. A gun shot rang. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

"Fuck... move... FUCK!" Boone yelled to himself, "Move Maria God dam it!" but it was too late, the man had her out of his sight just like that. Boone was running down the stairs of the building he was in as fast as he could get his feet to carry him. "God... fuck why did you let him grab you, fucking A..." It didn't take long to hear a shrill scream come from within Jessup's hide out. "Alive, she's still alive."

Boone rounded the corner of the door and brought is rifle up in one swift motion. What he saw was a screaming Maria with her hands in her face and a man with a gun pointed at her head. He gave the man no time to turn around. His head was gone, bit and pieces of his brains covered the walls, floors, and Maria. She was still screaming, rocking herself back and forth. 

"No, no, no, no." She chanted, "No, no, no, not the ground, no, no, not again, no, no." Tears were pouring down her face. Her breathing was labored and full of panic. He went to her, and when he went to touch her she screamed again. 

"Maria, it's me, snap out of it. Maria.... Maria, look at me." he pleaded, he knew well enough the signs of PTSD. "Look at me. You're ok." 

When she looked up to him, her eyes were red and watery, but he could see she was regaining herself. She blinked a couple of times then threw herself into him, dragging him to his knees. She curled up against his chest with her face hidden from him. He had no idea what to do. It was obvious she needed help, or support of some kind, but that just wasn't his thing. He let his hands hang beside them. "Oh, if Carla were here she'd know what to say." he thought, "She always knew what to say." 

He was pulled from his thoughts when Maria began to speak in a low whisper, "I.. I am not ready. I can't do it. Boone, I'm sorry I'm not ready." 

"Not ready for what?"

"To face my killer. I can't do it. Please, I'm not ready. Please, let's just... go somewhere else. Please." she pleaded in a small voice. 

He replied in as calming a voice as he could manage, "It's ok. No one is going to make you. We can go now."

She looked up at him and nodded. Without another word she drug herself up and fled the bloody room. Boone looked down at the headless body. "Better still get the info she wanted, she may not want it now, but she will want it eventually." He thought. He went to search the rest of the building, and to untie the NCR troops. With a quick salute in thanks, they ran back to their camp. Boone took his time searching the building. He wanted to make sure Maria had enough time to calm down, but at the same time, he knew he shouldn't be too long. He had found what she was after and tucked it into one of his coat pockets, "At least we won't have to come back here again later." 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Maria couldn't believe herself. She had to get over this! She let herself get thrown into a room with a very angry man for fuck sake... and all that crying, right in front of Boone? What had she been thinking. If she had only moved when Boone yelled. Maria paced back and forth trying to work out her adrenaline. She began to kick around an old tin can while taking deep breaths when Boone came out the door. She very shyly looked up at him expecting a blank face devoid of emotion. What she saw was his brow furrowed in concern. It was the first time she had ever seen any hint of emotion on the man's face. Sure, she had heard him raise his voice before, at her even, but it never showed. Now, his movements were cautious and slow. The man really was handsome. She knew he was but had never really thought about it before. If he'd just take off those sun glasses...

"You ok?" Boone asked. Maria continued to stare at him. "Maria?"

"Hmm. oh yeah. Sorry. I'll be ok... umm... thanks... for saving me. I uh... I'd probably be shot by now... again. Just... thanks." She rambled on awkwardly. 

He nodded to her. He could tell, she would be ok. She was already back to rambling on like a fool. She would be ok, she'd need time to come to terms with what had happened to her, but, she would recover. He'd make sure of it. Even if he didn't want to admit it, she was growing on him. He'd follow her where ever she went.


	4. Gone Green Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Ronnie, ED-E, and Raul into the story now :D  
> then they find their way to vault 22.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for reading thus far!  
> Any comments or suggestions are very welcome!

It had been almost three months and Maria still refused to resume chasing the man who shot her. Boone didn't really care what they did, he was more concerned that she wasn't facing her problem and was instead burring it. He never said anything to her though, he didn't really have room to talk. They had, or rather, Maria had, even more people following her around. There was the young girl, Ronnie, who seemed to like talking way too much for Boone's liking. She said her family was from underground, but didn't go into any more detail that that. Boone wasn't sure he trusted her, the way she described her family was, just too vague. Boone had to admit, the girl seemed to have a knack for electronics, and punching things. Then there was the robot, ED-E, that for the most part stuck rather close to Ronnie. Boone liked the robot for the most part. It didn't talk, and was helpful. Those sensors it had were quite handy in a fight. The last new member to their little band was an old ghoul named Raul. For whatever reason Maria had wanted to go up a mountain that was covered in Super Mutants. There they had found the old man locked in a repair shop. He complained about his knees often, and called Maria "boss". He too, was much too chatty. At least they all seemed content to talk to each other and left him alone. 

It helped Maria, have more people around. Often she was her self. She'd ramble on in detached sentences, laugh, and get on his nerves. There were some days though, and on one occasion, a week where she was beside her self. She didn't talk with Ronnie or Raul, she didn't act annoyingly goofy, she just walked around in silence starring at her feet. Boone knew what was on her mind in those times, the others would do all they could to get her to open up, they were as concerned about her as he was, but they never left her alone to work though her feelings. They knew what had happened to her, they wanted to help, but they had little more idea how to do that than he did. 

"Boss, these old knees can't take much more of this walking. It's going to be dark soon, don't you think it's about time me made camp?" The old ghoul complained. 

"Yeah, I guess so. Boone, you mind taking first watch tonight?" Maria asked. 

Boone nodded and went to find a good spot to get a view of the area around them. The others set to making a small fire to roast some rad roach meet. Not long after they had all eaten, the sun was set and cool winds of the Mojave winter kicked in. Boone was not fond of the desert winters. It would be killer hot in the day then freezing cold at night. There was never any middle ground. Boone pulled his coat tight around himself when he heard some one come up behind him. 

"Hey." Maria said.

"Hey." 

"Boone... there was something I wanted to ask you now that Ronnie and Raul are asleep, if that's ok?" Maria sat down next to him and waited for his reply. What ever she wanted to talk about couldn't be pleasent.

"Sure. I guess. What did you want to know?" Boone said, but on the inside he was begging her not to ask about Carla, or anything having to do with his past for that matter. 

"Ok... so... umm... how do I put this without it sounding absolutely terrible." she made a heavy sigh, "Have you ever thought about... have you ever wondered if things would be better if you were dead? I don't mean like, thought about killing yourself but more like, just thought, if you happened to die during a fight or just didn't wake up one day, that things would be better?" She looked right in his eyes, he could tell she had giving this a lot of thought. For whatever reason, it was important to her. 

Boone did not want to tell her he had thought that very same thing every day since he'd lost Carla. He spent every hour wondering if it'd be the day when his punishment for all of his wrong doings would come to a sweet end. He did not want to tell her he had joined her in the hopes of dying at some point, that he was using her to put and end to his grief. That was not what she needed to hear. 

"Why would you wonder such a thing? Look around. Do you see those two laying over there? They care about you, they rely on you. There is nothing more important than that. For all intents and purposes, they are your family, or at least, your friends. As long as you have them, why would you want to die? Why don't you tell me? You were the one who DID die. Would going though those emotions, that pain again, be worth it?" He said. Her mouth turned up into a small smile. She leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. 

"You're right. Thank you Boone. I guess I knew, I just needed to hear it from some one else." she said with a soft sigh, "They, you, are worth fighting for."

Boone froze. It had been a long time since anyone had touched him, especially in such an intimate way. He liked it. No, no he had to get away. He had to push himself away. He did not deserve this warmth he was feeling, he couldn't allow himself any happiness. He was panicking inside. He had to escape, so he used what seemed the like the most logical solution.

"I have to.. um, take care of some business." He said nervously.

"OH! Ya, you go do that... somewhere else." Maria laughed, "I should get some sleep anyways. Raul's watch is next then mine. Good night Boone, and thank you." With that she turned to go to her bed roll. Boone fled down the hill as fast as his feet would carry him.

That night, Maria did not dream of blackness or pain, she dreamt of a man in black sunglasses and a red beret. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria was feeling better than she had in ages. Her friends were in good spirits, well, most of them. Boone was his usual self, quite and reclusive. Heck, she'd be more worried about him if he wasn't keeping to himself. Everything was going well. They had accumulated a sizable amount of caps from salvage they've sold and from helping whomever asked for it. They were going no where in particular, just enjoying each others company and putting an end to any troubles they came across. They were walking at the base of a mountain when they came upon the most amazing sight ever.

"Ho-ly shit. Are those... plants?" Ronnie asked. The group stood eyes wide and stared at the green hill base. It was covered in real live growing plants. "Real non-irradiated plants, here! In the Mojave!" 

"Raul, is that grass?" Maria asked the old ghoul. 

"Um, ya, boss. I can't imagine what it's doing here. This place was a wasteland even before the bombs fell, the Mojave has always been a desert. Why, how, it's here, is beyond me."

Maria went and bent over to rub her hand over the growth. It was soft, and sharp to some degree, but wonderful. She had never felt anything like it, she was sure of it, even if she didn't remember her life before. She sat down and began to take off her boots.

"Um, boss? What are you doing?" Her companions were watching her with puzzled faces. 

"I want to feel it on my feet. This is my only chance for that. It's not like it's going to jump up and grab me." Maria said with a smile. 

It was fantastic. They must be the only ones, or one of the only ones, to ever see, touch, real grass grown in the wild. Maria began to dance in small circles. She couldn't explain it, but it was a very freeing experience. She felt like the world she knew could just melt away and all of the pain she knew would be a distant memory. Her day dreaming was brought to a sudden halt when she felt something at her ankle, and with a jerk, landed flat on her face. She couldn't see what had her, but it was squeezing on her leg, she tried to turn to face her attacker but before she could move a single shot rang out. Maria looked up, Boone had his gun in hand and she felt the grip on her leg go limp. 

"What the fuck!?" She brought herself up and looked down at the mass before them, "What IS that?" 

Ronnie bent over next to the fallen creature and attempted to study it. "I have no idea, plants aren't really my thing... but it has a human shape. Why didn't we see it before? I just, appeared behind you. A plant person, never heard of such a thing." ED-E beeped in confirmation, "Ya, you didn't pick it up on you sensors either did ya? Hell of some camouflage."

"I think it's time we go, boss. There might be more of those things around. Don't think these old knees can take any more surprises for today." Raul said as he went to rub his knees, trying to make a point. 

"We should go in there." Maria pointed toward the tunnel near them, "We could learn where these things came from, how this place even exists. What if we could learn how to grow plants like this elsewhere? Is that something we could really afford to pass up?" 

Maria did no wait for a reply. She put her boots back on, got up and headed for the tunnel. She knew the others would follow her. They always did.


End file.
